From Blueprint to Print: A Step-by-Step Dental 3D Printing Tutorial

This tutorial explains how to export a design created in Blueprint, prepare the STL geometry in Meshmixer, and finalize a clean, print-ready dental model in Exocad Model Creator.

The workflow is designed for dental professionals and technicians who want to move from a digital Smile Design or mock-up in Blueprint to a printable 3D model that can be used in the next stage of the production workflow.

The process is divided into three main stages:

Export the project from Blueprint

Create a clean single-surface mesh in Meshmixer

Finalize the printable dental model in Exocad Model Creator

Before you start

Before beginning the Blueprint to print workflow, make sure your Blueprint project is complete and that the design you want to print has already been reviewed.

You will need:

A completed Blueprint project

The final design/mock-up

The initial scan or model surface

Meshmixer installed on your computer

Exocad Model Creator installed on your computer

Step 1: Export the project from Blueprint

Open the completed project inside Blueprint.

From the Blueprint workspace, open the Export option.

In the export window, select the objects needed for the external preparation workflow. For this type of dental 3D printing workflow, you should export the final design and the model surfaces that will be prepared for printing.

Once the correct objects are selected, confirm the export and download the STL files from Blueprint.

After the download is complete, open the downloaded folder on your computer. If the export is compressed, extract the files before continuing.

Open the extracted folder and locate the STL file that will be prepared in Meshmixer.

Step 2: Open the Blueprint export in Meshmixer

Open Meshmixer and import the STL exported from Blueprint.

Once the file is loaded, rotate the model and inspect the anatomy before making any changes.

The imported file may contain several elements, including the initial scan, sculpted or segmented teeth, design teeth, gingiva, or other exported model surfaces.

At this stage, the goal is not to redesign the case. The goal is to organize the exported geometry, separate the useful elements, clean the surfaces, and prepare an STL file that can later be used in Exocad Model Creator.

Step 3: Separate the imported objects

In Meshmixer, start by identifying the digitally sculpted initial segmented teeth.

Select these objects and use the separation tools to divide them into separate shells. This is an important step because a Blueprint export can contain several disconnected parts inside a single STL object.

Separating shells allows Meshmixer to treat those parts as individual editable objects.

After separating the digitally sculpted initial segmented teeth, select the initial scan and separate it as well.

Then select the design teeth and separate them too.

The purpose of this step is to make the different parts of the Blueprint export easier to control. Once the objects are separated, you can show, hide, select, edit, or combine them with more precision.

You can also export the objects separately from Blueprint and import them one by one into Meshmixer to achieve the same result.

Step 4: Set the target mesh

After the objects have been separated, set the digitally sculpted initial segmented teeth as the target mesh.

The target mesh works as a reference surface. In this workflow, it is used so the sculpting information from the digitally sculpted segmented teeth can be copied onto the initial unsegmented scan.

This helps transfer the correct dental anatomy and surface shape onto the scan while keeping the scan as the working base for the printable model.

Step 5: Use the Attract brush to copy the sculpting

With the correct target mesh defined, use the Attract brush to copy the digital sculpting from the initial segmented teeth onto the initial unsegmented scan.

Carefully brush over the relevant areas. The Attract brush pulls the active mesh toward the target mesh, helping the scan inherit the shape of the sculpted surface.

Work gradually and inspect the dental model from multiple angles while doing this. The goal is to transfer the sculpted tooth information cleanly without creating unwanted distortions or artifacts.

If the scan does not have enough geometry for this operation, you can use the Smooth brush with a small size to refine the polygon count in the affected area. This adds geometry and allows you to continue copying the sculpting using the Attract brush.

Once the sculpting has been copied, remove the target mesh marking from the initial segmented teeth.

Step 6: Prepare the objects for Boolean operations

Next, adjust the visibility of the objects in the scene so you can work with the initial unsegmented scan and the design teeth.

Select the initial scan and one design tooth. Use Shift to select additional objects when needed.

The design teeth meshes should then be divided into separate objects per tooth. This allows each design tooth to be managed individually during the Boolean workflow.

If you use the design teeth as combined meshes, make sure they do not intersect with each other. However, the best results usually happen when the number of meshes included in the Boolean operation is limited.

Once the correct mesh and design tooth are selected, press Accept to confirm the operation.

Step 7: Clean areas where the Boolean operation fails

If a Boolean operation fails, it usually means there is a problematic area in the mesh.

This can happen because of overlapping surfaces, small artifacts, scan irregularities, thin intersections, or areas where the geometry is not clean enough for the operation to complete.

When this happens, clean the indicated area using a brush of your choice. In the video tutorial, the Add/Remove brush is used.

Use the brush to remove or adjust the problematic surface area. The goal is to simplify the geometry enough for the Boolean operation to work correctly and produce a clean result.

At the same time, try to preserve the gingiva on the initial scan as much as possible.

After cleaning the area, repeat or continue the Boolean operation.

Step 8: Repair the mesh after the Boolean operation

Once the Boolean operation is complete, select the resulting mesh.

The edit tools and analysis tools are accessible from the left-side menu in Exocad.

Carefully inspect the areas around the design teeth. These are the areas most likely to require additional cleaning after the Boolean operation.

Look for irregular surfaces, unwanted overlaps, open areas, scan artifacts, or small pieces of geometry that should not remain in the final printable STL file.

Correct the issues around the design teeth before moving forward.

Step 9: Clean scan artifacts and unusable margins

Enter Select Mode.

Use Select Mode to mark scan artifacts and any unusable gingival margins. These areas should be cleaned because they can interfere with the final printable dental model or create unnecessary complexity in the exported file.

After selecting the unwanted areas, remove them from the mesh.

Then enter Inspector Mode to identify and clean floating islands from the scan margins.

Floating islands are small disconnected fragments of geometry. They may not be obvious at first, but they can create problems later during export, import, or 3D printing.

Use Inspector Mode to clean these disconnected fragments and verify that the remaining mesh is clean and usable.

Press I for a quick automatic inspection of the single-surface mesh.

Red points indicate that something needs to be remeshed in the highlighted area.

Blue indicates a hole that needs to be closed.

Pink indicates loose islands or polygons that need to be removed.

Step 10: Export the clean single-surface mesh

After cleaning the model, export the result as a single-surface mesh.

This is the STL file that will be used in another software, such as Exocad Model Creator.

The goal is to leave Meshmixer with a clean STL that contains only the required geometry, without unnecessary fragments, disconnected shells, or duplicated surfaces.

You can also finalize the printable model at this stage by extruding the surface border, cutting the extrusion with Plane Cut to the desired base height, hollowing the model, and using Plane Cut again to avoid unnecessary resin waste.

Step 11: Open Exocad Model Creator

Open Exocad and start the Model Creator workflow.

Browse for the STL file exported from Meshmixer and import it into Exocad.

Once the STL is loaded, review the model inside the Exocad workspace before continuing.

Step 12: Orient the model

Use the orientation tools to position the model correctly.

Align the model so it sits correctly on the working plane. This step is important because the model orientation affects how the base is created and how the final file will be prepared for 3D printing.

Inspect the model from the frontal, lateral, and occlusal views before confirming the orientation.

Step 13: Create the printable model base

In Model Creator, draw or adjust the outline for the printable model base.

Carefully follow the shape of the arch and make sure the outline supports the full design.

Once the outline is defined, continue to generate the base.

Inspect the model wall and base thickness. Make sure the base is stable, continuous, and suitable for printing.

Step 14: Review the final print-ready model

After the base has been generated, review the completed model from multiple angles.

Check that:

The design remains correctly positioned

The base properly supports the model

The wall and base thickness look appropriate

There are no visible unwanted fragments

The model is clean and ready for export

After the final inspection, export the completed print-ready model from Exocad.

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